Beginning today, Nintendo 3DS owners will get free Wi-Fi access at airports due to an agreement between Boingo Wireless Inc. and Nintendo of America Inc. There already are many thousands of places for Nintendo 3DS to go online without any additional cost, but anyone who has ever traveled will realize that Boingo’s hotspots in 42 North American airports are a useful addition.
“With the holiday season approaching, more leisure travelers and families with children will fill our airports and have access to our hotspots,” Colby Goff, senior vice president of strategy and business development for Boingo Wireless. “Our state-of-the-art networks will provide Nintendo 3DS users with seamless connectivity and fast, reliable service to help them make the most of their travel downtime.”
Access to participating Boingo hotspots is automatic with the latest Nintendo 3DS system update, which became available December 8.
Zach Fountain, Nintendo of America’s director of strategic partnerships, pointed out that Nintendo 3DS users often get surprise SpotPass content when they use the device’s Wi-Fi capabilities through a third-party provider, in addition to the usual capabilities to download from the Nintendo eShop and the Nintendo Video service. “As the global leader in airport Wi-Fi, Boingo is an ideal wireless provider for the millions of Nintendo 3DS users who want to stay connected as they travel,” he said. “Nintendo 3DS is our most connected device ever, and this agreement will allow people to stay entertained while they’re on the go.”
When enabled, SpotPass allows a Nintendo 3DS to detect wireless hotspots or wireless LAN access points and obtain things like information, game data, free software andvideos and more, even when the device is in sleep mode. Users of course can also find nearby hotspots using the services locator; looking up Digital Media Wire’s Zip code, for example, revealed access points at dozens of Starbucks and McDonald’s establishments in addition to FedEx offices and hotels.
Related links:
http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/hotspot-locator
Nintendo, Boingo bring free airport WiFi to 3DS, commuter rage to slightly dip
Quality – will make waiting for a plane better! Just got back from a holiday in Cape Verde (island off Africa) and amazing to see everyone using Wifi hotspots. They were using laptops though, and not Nintendo DS’!